In two weeks, the Chicago Bulls will begin playing preseason basketball. It’s hard to believe the NBA season is already here.
Many wonder how the Bulls will fare this season. A plethora of personnel changes were made in an attempt to improve the roster, such as drafting Caleb Wilson fourth overall in the NBA draft. They also added veterans like Norman Powell and Nic Claxton via free agency and the trade market. The Bulls are clearly showing the urgency to compete.
However, it seems some media outlets believe the Bulls will have growing pains with this new roster. How will Matas Buzelis fit with Wilson? Will Josh Giddey take that leap? How will first-year head coach Tiago Splitter do?
This morning, ESPN released its player rankings (50-100) for the 2026 season, which were written by various NBA insiders.
Chicago Bulls forwards Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis ranked low in ESPN’s top 100 players
First on the list was Caleb Wilson, who was ranked 97th. Impressive for a player who is this raw, but still low by some standards. ESPN insider Zach Kram wrote, “Wilson is the first of four rookies on this list, which befits the No. 4 pick from the most recent draft. He’s an extraordinary athlete with immense potential, and he even flashed unexpected 3-point range at summer league.”
Kram continued, “Like all rookies, he’ll undergo growing pains this season — he committed 21 turnovers to just seven assists during summer league — but he’s the Bulls’ most compelling prospect since Derrick Rose.”
Wilson is surely the biggest story for the Bulls this season, as many anticipate him to get off to a fast start. However, the way that he and Buzelis play is so similar that many do wonder how the two play together.
That leads us into the next player on the list, Matas Buzelis. He was ranked 88th after being unranked the year prior and was given praise by ESPN insider Dave McMenamin. “The Bulls’ high-flying forward virtually doubled his production from his rookie to sophomore seasons to crack NBA Rank for the first time. The 6-foot-8 Buzelis boosted his averages from 8.6 to 16.3 points, from 3.5 to 5.8 rebounds and from 1.0 to 2.1 assists per game.”
Buzelis has progressed nicely since entering the league. It’s clear he loves the city of Chicago as well, and seems like a good culture fit for this young Bulls squad.
However, McMenamin touched on his fit with Wilson as well, saying, “How he meshes with Chicago’s No. 4 pick, Caleb Wilson, will be paramount for his continued development.”
Norman Powell, Josh Giddey round out top 80 – Did ESPN disrespect the Chicago Bulls?
Next on the list was Norman Powell, one of the new additions to the Chicago Bulls.
Powell averaged 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 58 games with the Heat last season. It was enough to earn him his first-ever NBA All-Star appearance, marking a career year.
Kram said in the rankings, “It was a brilliant late-career renaissance for the veteran guard, who is a career 40% 3-point shooter and even averaged a career-best 2.5 assists last season. He’ll now be tasked with spacing the floor and scoring for a young Bulls team that traded away much of its offense last season.”
The 32-year-old Powell will have his work cut out for him on this roster. With him getting older, the depth of this Bulls team will be put to the test.
The last name on the list was Josh Giddey, ranked 80th. Far too low, if you ask me. Last year, he was unarguably the best player on the Bulls. He nearly averaged a triple-double and set a career high in points, rebounds, and assists.
“Giddey has increased his 3-point percentage while almost doubling his 3-point volume.” ESPN insider Andre Snellings continued, “Still only 23 but entering his sixth season, Giddey is on a career upswing and will form the centerpiece, along with rookie forward Caleb Wilson, for the young Bulls.”
Giddey was ranked below OKC’s Ajay Mitchell, LA’s Walker Kessler (who didn’t play last year), and rookie AJ Dybantsa.
The Chicago Bulls should view these rankings as disrespect from ESPN. There’s obviously not much faith within the national media to rank the Bulls any higher.
Hopefully they use it as bulletin board material going forward.
More: Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson listed as favorite for Rookie of the Year
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